Hello,
I'm a bit new to the "elite" world, but I soon will be flying between Baltimore and San Diego every three weeks or so, and should attain gold status. In researching fares, it seems that HP, NW, and CO usually have the lowest fares for this journey. I am debating whether I should become NW gold or CO gold, or if there is even any difference now that they are joined at the hip in many cases. I'm leaning toward NW since it seems so easy to get bonus miles. Any comments you all have would be very helpful to me. Thanks!
Hals

Simply from a service perspective, I think you'll be far happier with CO over NW. NW still has a lot of issues that rank them far below CO.

Plus, with CO you get upgrades on HP, I think. With NW, you don't.

Carberry

And CO FFs also get elite qualifying miles on HP.

Carberry is right, but remember that ff programs have always been, and will always be subject to change. My advice is to select the program for the Airline that you expect to travel the most on.

Checking schedules will be important. I concur that service/amenities on CO are better than NW. Also, don't assume that the reciprocity is seamless. Golds don't get elite seating on the other airline (CO/NW)--assuming you don't get an upgrade as gold; it is a pain in the neck to get upgades (sometimes) on the other airline in which you are not "its" gold member. Often treated a bit differently when actual gold member of airline traveling on.

HP credit on CO.

United.

Another endorsement of CO.

They have a newer fleet - a big plus. Their service has been excellent.

As an Elite, their service will be even better.

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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

I'd take a look at which hubs you want to fly through. On CO, you'll end up spending a lot of time in CLE. On NWA, you'll get to know DTW or MSP and understand why we many of us NWA elites can't stand DTW. I have lots of friends really close to MSP - so I know if I get stranded in MSP (which happens at least twice per year) I have somewhere to stay.

Also the CO presidents clubs at CLE are quite nice.

I fly on short notice a lot and find that HP has the best prices on full fares on most routes - usually 2/3 of what every other airline has. I try to fly CO as often as possible but often take HP when the fare's a lot less.

CO elites get complimentary upgrades on full fares on CO, NW, and HP. If you're not flying on full fares, choose the program of the airline you will be flying most often, as others have noted. Since you're going to be connecting, your choice of airline will determine your connecting hub. My experience is that PHX (HP), IAH (CO), MSP (NW), and CLE (CO) are much better for connections than DTW (NW) and EWR (CO). If you get club membership in CO Presidents Club, you can use clubrooms of CO, NW, and HP.

Upgrades on UA are done via certificates. At the Premier Executive level, UA sends you 2K upgrade miles per 10K miles flown. Beyond that, you have to buy certificates at $125 per 2K miles. 1Ks get a better deal than that; if you'll be able to get to the 1K level, UA starts becoming more attractive. Also, UA has new Economy Plus seating with roomier seats in coach for its Premiers.

Thanks for all of the responses--it looks like I'll have to see which routes/times/airline are best for me and go with that. One other question about elite status: my understanding is that you get elite status Jan. 1 or so the year AFTER you fly the miles that qualify you. Do you get anything as soon as you've reached the 25,000 milestone and the 50,000 milestone or do you have to wait until the new year to get the rewards?

--Hals

You get the status as soon as you reach the mileage threshold, not the next year. And you don't have to wait until you receive your credentials in the mail (they can take up to 1 month to arrive on CO). So for example, once you fly 25,000 elite qualifying miles in 2000 on CO, you are eligible for Elite section seating on your next flight and eligible to call for an upgrade on the day of your flight. The OnePass database is accessible to reservations, and it should be updated almost immediately after you hit 25,000 miles.

Am I crazy for preferring NW over CO? Which ever airline you fly more, chose their FF program because upgrades are easier to get. What I don't like about CO is their connect times can be short and they won't hold the connecting flight for you. NW coach breakfasts are also good (the only example of when food makes a difference for me).

Thanks again for the input. It is a great group of people here!
--Hals